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TREASURE AND GREED And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God (Luke 12:15-21).
The Gospel of Luke emphasizes the theme of the spiritual danger of great personal wealth. This passage is found only in Luke. Jesus applied the tenth commandment, which prohibits covetousness, to the building up of wealth. The King James translators always translated the Greek word as "covetous," but the meaning is closer to "greed." Greed is the insatiable desire for more.(1) Jesus warned that greed has to do with amassing personal wealth at the expense of God. He made clear the theocentric nature of greed: robbing God. But, ultimately, it means robbing one's own eternal future. It is as if we were to spend our retirement portfolio on ourselves before our retirement.
Full Barns, Empty Life The rich man in the parable possessed great wealth. In a world in which hunger was common, he could not store all of his excess food, which was overflowing. He had to make space for it. The same shortage of space afflicted his other possessions.
It was not good enough to build new barns. He wanted to tear down his old ones. He wanted the latest thing in barns. The man was afflicted with an edifice complex. He wanted the existence of his great wealth visible to those around him.
He saw the issue in terms of his earthly future. "And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry" (v. 19). The Greek word for "soul" here is psuché, more often translated as "life." "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it" (Luke 9:24). This rich man defined his life in terms of his goods. He believed that his life was about to enter a new phase, an era of ease. It was time to retire. It was time to eat, drink, and be merry.
There is nothing wrong with eating and drinking and being merry. But if this is all that a man enjoys, his soul is at risk. In exploring the various ways of life open to mankind on his own authority, Ecclesiastes wrote, "Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun" (Eccl. 8:15). But there is a better way, he concluded at the end of his speculations: to obey God. "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Eccl. 12:13-14).
Jesus' parable parallelled the passage in Ecclesiastes on the merry heart. At any time, a man may die. The evil time may come upon him unexpectedly. Enjoy what you have because you may lose it at any time. This was the recommendation in Ecclesiastes.
Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them (Eccl. 9:7-12).
Jesus warned that the evil day for that rich man was not part of his plans. He did not take death seriously. He looked into the future and saw years of soft living ahead. He would have time to enjoy the fruits of his labor. He would no longer have to work hard, or perhaps not work at all. Retirement beckoned.
With no higher purpose than personal enjoyment, this man was blind to eternity. He would be called on before the night was over to give God an account of his stewardship. His barns had been full, but his life had been empty. The commitment of his life, not the size of his barns, was what would count that night. "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul [psuché]?" (Mark 8:36).
Inheritance "But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" (v. 20). The issue of accumulated wealth is an issue regarding inheritance. A man leaves behind earthly treasure for his heirs. He has no control over who inherits what after this initial distribution.
A man inherits treasure in heaven based on what he had done in history for God and His kingdom. "Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me" (Luke 18:22). By surrendering in history a portion of his earthly estate, a man transfers this portion into eternity. This is what it means to be rich toward God. Recipients of charity receive these gifts on behalf of God. They are His collection agents.
Inheritance should always be a concern for a rich man. "A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just" (Prov. 13:22). To secure the future of his children's earthly inheritance, a man needs righteousness. His treasure is to be put to good use in the kingdom. The Bible teaches that the kingdom has two realms, historical and eternal. A covenant-keeper stores up wealth in both realms. He leaves behind an inheritance in history, yet he also accumulates an inheritance for himself in eternity. The differentiating factor is in the eternal inheritance is ethics: charitable giving.
The parable's rich man believed that he was storing up treasure for himself. He was actually storing it up for his heirs, who would inherit his treasure soon. He would not live to enjoy the fruits of his labor. His life was spent, though his barns were full. His eternal life's account read "insufficient funds."
Abundance Is Not Necessary "And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life [zoé], what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on" (v. 22). There is no "therefore" in the Greek text. It is implied, however, in the opening words: "And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (v. 15). The care of one's soul requires careful attention to the allocation of one's resources. Covetousness involves laying up treasure in history at God's expense.
Jesus was equipping His disciples for missionary activity.(2) They were not to worry about what they should eat or wear. He provided a detailed passage that describes the correct attitude of a person on a missionary journey.
The life [psuché] is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Luke 12:23-34).
Jesus again made the comparison between the value of a faithful man and the value of a bird -- in this case, ravens rather than sparrows(3) (Luke 12:7). The ravens do not store up food in barns, but God still feeds them. So will He feed the disciples. They were to believe this so totally that they would forget about worrying about food and clothing. They were to live as the Israelites lived in the wilderness: without fear a lack of food or clothing. Moses told the generation of the inheritance: "And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years" (Deut. 8:3-4). God takes care of His people.
The disciples were not to "take thought" about such matters. The Greek word is sometimes translated as "care" or "careful," meaning full of care. "And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things" (Luke 10:41). Paul wrote: "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Phil. 4:6). It means worry.(4) The disciples were not to worry about their food and clothing. These would be supplied by God.
Mobile Missionaries
Is this attitude toward disbursing capital a universal requirement for covenant-keepers? Are they not to be thrifty, laying up reserves for an uncertain future? Other texts in the Bible indicate otherwise. "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest" (Prov. 6:6-8). How can we reconcile this apparent contradiction?
Jesus' command was directed at a small band of missionaries, preparing them for a time of persecution. "And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles" (Acts 8:1).
Nevertheless, to the extent that every Christian is at risk of such persecution, we should all be ready to dispense with our concerns about food and clothing. God provides His people with the capital that they require in order to complete their dominion tasks, just as He provides the ravens with food. This capital includes food and clothing.
The key message in this passage is to trust God. "And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind" (v. 29). The work is more important than the supplies. The task is more important than the tools. Devote time and prayer in order to identify the task. The tools are secondary. Why are they secondary? First, because they can be lost without warning, but the work must continue. Second, because they can be replaced by God without our planning.
Jesus was speaking to the disciples. "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). They were not yet a society, let alone a nation. They were at best an untrained team. The rules governing them were not the rules governing a civilization. Their rules implied extreme mobility.
The rich man's soul was highly mobile. His barns were not. He did not recognize the extreme mobility of his soul. The disciples were being warned not to think as a barn-builder does. They were to remain mobile. They were not to weigh themselves down with immobile capital. They were to be ready to march.
Such geographical mobility is not common to civilizations. A civilization is built on immobile capital. Someone must own it. What is mobile is ownership. Legal title to property is highly mobile. This is what capital markets provide: mobility, also known as liquidity. A person can buy or sell ownership of a liquid asset rapidly and inexpensively without high advertising expenses or time constraints. Money is the most liquid asset.
The kingdom was at hand. It had already arrived, Jesus had told them. "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you" (Luke 11:20). This language pointed back to the giving of the law. "And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God" (Ex. 31:18).(5)
God would give the kingdom to them. This would require them to be mobile, unencumbered with possessions.
Heart and Treasure But what of this principle? "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (v. 34). Is this limited to missionaries? Besides, as pilgrims in this world, every Christian is a missionary.
The location of an owner's treasure is also the location of his heart. The rich man's treasure was in his food and barns. This was his spiritual problem. His covetousness toward God prevented him from accumulating treasure in God's heavenly storehouse, to be held in permanent reserve for the steward. His heart was buried in history. His soul was not. His body would soon be buried in history. His soul would not.
Jesus made it clear that the general principle of biblical ownership is in opposition to covetousness, as defined by the parable of the rich man and his barns. Generosity to the poor is the special mark of faithful Christian stewardship. This is self-interested generosity. The donor is accumulating treasure in heaven.
It is legitimate to be self-interested. Paul said to his listeners: "I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). What is the source of our blessings? Do we trust God to provide for us? Are our hearts faithful? Do we prefer our blessings in history or eternity? What distinguishes covenant-keepers from covenant-breakers with respect to the pursuit of self-interest is their identification of the source of the blessings. Beware, Moses had warned the people, that "thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth" (Deut. 8:17).
Men pursue treasure. Jesus warned against pursuing exclusively earthly treasure. It is too easy to turn earthly treasure into an idol, i.e., the misperceived source of our comfort and security. A man's god is his source of security. Heavenly treasure, not being accessible in history, is not idolatrous. The realm of all idols is history. There will be no idols in heaven or hell.
Our hearts are easily deceived (Jer. 17:9). We are easily lured away from the pathway of stewardship by earthly treasure or the hope of earthly treasure. Jesus repeated this so often that He must have believed this temptation to be very great. Treasure may come to a man in response to honest dealing or hard work or a creative mind or an inheritance. But it must be dealt with as fire: a destroyer when out of control.
Conclusion The rich man was rich toward himself and poor toward God. He built up capital for his heirs in history and nothing for himself in eternity. He looked at history as his retirement center, but eternity replaced it. He was short-sighted. He was a fool.
Jesus told His disciples that they should not pursue wealth. They needed practically nothing. What they needed, God would provide. Jesus was instructing the church's first evangelists. Their job was to spread the gospel in a hostile nation. As the kingdom's pathbreakers, their focus had to be on heavenly rewards.
As a society is brought under God's institutional covenants through personal discipleship (Matt. 28:18-20),(6) those who are building up this Christian society have a much wider range of tasks than a missionary. They must build a civilization. This takes capital and the division of labor. Capital is treasure. Societies need barns to store grain from the harvest through the year. Someone must own these barns. Someone must become responsible for administering the grain. Kingdom tasks go beyond missionary evangelism. So do capital requirements.
The temptation of earthly treasure still remains. Tangible wealth blinds most men. The more they get, the less they share with God. Their addiction to earthly treasure increases. Mammon, like God, is a jealous god.(7) He does not want God to participate in men's economic blessings. He blinds men's eyes to eternity. He focuses men's attention on an exclusively earthly future. This is idolatry.
Footnotes:
1. William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: An Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1978), p. 662.
2. Chapter 25, below.
3. Chapter 23, above.
4. Hendriksen, Luke, p. 667.
5. In Matthew's account, we read: "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you" (Matt. 12:28).
6. Kenneth L. Gentry, The Greatness of the Great Commission (Tyler, Texas: Institute for Christian Economics, 1990).
7. Chapter 38, below.
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